Ducks @ Oregon - University of Oregon

When did this happen?

Korrin B.

October 10, 2009 - 8:45 PM

Two weeks ago, we were just beginning classes and enjoying the beauty of a northwest Indian summer. After Eugene got its laughs out of the way by raining on the first day of classes, the sun shone for all to enjoy. There was no need for a jacket and I wore sandals to class.

Yesterday, I was driving down Hilyard Street, past the campus area and all of a sudden noticed - the trees aren't green anymore. For some reason, this slow change always catches me by surprise. I feel as though one day it's all green and I'm still holding onto summer's hand and then the next day, she has slipped away while I am busy day dreaming and Autumn has come whispered her color into the leaves of every tree I rest against. I don't leave the house now without a jacket. Even when I see that the sun is shining, I know it's cold enough to bring a jacket.

One of the most beautiful places you can go in all of Eugene during autumn is the University of Oregon campus. The trees on campus turn the most beautiful colors - bright reds, warm oranges, majestic purples, cinnamon browns...Duck yellow.

I grew up in the Redwoods. Redwoods, despite being some of the most beautiful trees in the entire world, don't change colors the way Eugene's oaks do. I remember my first true fall experience as a freshman at the UO. I remember thinking how beautiful it was. My mom came up to visit that year and had almost a childlike fascination with the beauty of the trees. She went around campus taking pictures and making endless comments like, "Oooh, look at that one!" and "Oh, wow, that one is really red!"

Soon the leaves will fall and flood the ground's every inch. The workers will be back whose job it is to simply blow the leaves into a pile. The bike riders will complain that the leaves get piled in the bike lanes. The kids will jump into the piles, spreading them back out into the sidewalks. The students will walk from class to class and the lucky ones will stop to notice the beauty.

To me, the beauty is bittersweet. It's so lovely and yet it's also the beckoning of a cold winter. It's time to prepare. How and where will you find light in the dark months? How will you nourish your mind, body, and soul? Autumn is the time to strengthen the heart, so that it knows where to find warmth when the snow comes.

I love the fall and I love its trees. They always cover campus so fast.